Description:

Principle Land Uses

The Jonathan Creek watershed area is approximately 50 km². The middle and upper stretches of the creek are mostly forested area (Gilliss 2001). The lower reaches lie within the Moncton City limits. In this area, the creek reaches Jones Lake after flowing through Centennial Park, which serves as a major recreational area for the residents of Moncton and surrounding communities, and the Centennial Pond.

Water samples for Jonathan Creek have been collected by the Jonathan Creek Committee coordinator since 1999. The majority of the results presented in this report for Jonathan Creek come from the Jonathan Creek Committee Fish Habitat Restoration Project Report (Gilliss, 2001).

Urbanization, and some agriculture are the major impacts on Jonathan Creek's waters. Gilliss (2001) notes that the creek comes directly in contact with the farmed fields in certain areas, but the latter don't seem to affect water quality in that region. Urbanization has a more noticeable impact on water quality due to the creek's proximity to the Moncton Industrial Park and also from residential/commercial storm sewer outlets that discharge into the creek. Fine sediments characterize the physical habitat for the lower reaches of the creek. This sediment originates from bank erosion and runoff coming from ditches. Furthermore, fish passage is also restricted because of two barriers located at the outfalls of Centennial Park Pond and Jones Lake. These barriers have serious impacts on anadromous fish species like Trout and Salmon that can't access potential spawning grounds upstream. Modifications to these two structures to permit fish passage should be considered by local authorities.

Jonathan Creek has had its own watershed group since 1999. The mandate of this group was to rehabilitate fish habitat and water quality in the creek. They have installed several fish habitat restoration structures and done bank stabilization work throughout the watershed. Since the implementation of these structures, water quality parameters such as E.coli have been on the decline for the majority of Jonathan Creek above the park. In the summer of 2001 the City of Moncton undertook the construction of a 8696 m² wetland that borders Jonathan Creek within Centennial Park. This artificial wetland will serve as a natural filter for storm sewer run-off. Through the years this creek as showed a lot of potential. Continued attention and rehabilitation of the downstream portion of Jonathan Creek should be considered to fully rehabilitate this ecosystem.

Water quality highlights for Jonathan Creek and Jones Lake

Recommended preliminary classification:

Class C : above JON1A
Class C : between JON1A - JON1B
Class C : between JON1B - JON2
Class C : between JON2 - JON3
Class B : between JON3 - JON4
Class B : between JON4 - JON5
Class C : between JON5 - JON6
Class C : between JON6 - JON7
Class C : between JON7 - JON8
Class C : between JON8 - JON9
Class C : between JON9 - JON10
Class C : between JON10 - PWMG22

Recommended actions:

>> fix all cross connections that enter Jonathan Creek (Westbrook Circle, Jonathan Ave., Bingham Dr.);
>> installation of bank stabilization structures where bank erosion is identified;
>> conserve and enhance the brook's buffer zones;
>> construct a settling pond or use rip rap to slow down the flow of water coming from ditches;
>> identify specific location where runoff is entering the creek;
>> maintain the fish habitat restoration structures that are presently in the creek;
>> continue water quality monitoring to determine why Ryan St. tributary water quality is the poorest in the watershed;
>> apply best management practices to new commercial and residential development along Jonathan Creek (ex. storm retention ponds, berms etc.);
>> remediate all obstructions to fish passage (spill gates at Centennial Pond and at Jones Lake);
>> reduce and eventually phase out the use of cosmetic pesticides.